Bothered
by lonelyhour
Summary: Oneshot: In which Oreki does not have any feelings for Chitanda, and simply thinks of her as a bother. Or does he?


_This is rare_, Oreki thought.

School has ended for the day, and Oreki decided _not_ to skip Classics Club as he still had some energy left. He did not feel like going home immediately, even after what he deemed an energy-draining day. His Japanese teacher had decided to surprise the whole of class 1-B with a pop quiz, and even though it was a tricky multiple-choice questionnaire, he was pretty sure he had fared an average score in the quiz.

He also did not want to get an earful from the ever so enthusiastic president of the Classics Club during the next meeting.

So he took his time walking to the clubroom, occasionally saluting the Athletics Club jogging past him outside the window. He climbed up the stairs all the way to the fourth floor of the school building, and upon reaching the clubroom he was surprised to find it empty. He was pretty sure that at least one of the other members would be there before him, but there was no sight of them.

He shrugged, took a seat at the wooden table, and waited.

And waited.

He had been idly sitting at the table in the clubroom for a whole twenty minutes, yet there was still no sign of anyone coming; no sound of shuffling footsteps in the corridor, or even the muttering of voices.

He analysed the situation: Ibara may have to be at Manga Society today, but what about Satoshi and Chitanda? Either one of them should usually be there already before him, especially the eager Classics Club president. So it was rather unusual to see the clubroom rather empty.

Not that he wanted anyone to be there anyway. Oreki took this as a blessing in disguise. No distractions, no troublesome mysteries to figure out.

_Maybe I shouldn't go home just yet_, he thought.

Oreki stretched and rested his arms on the table, laying down his head on the polished surface. It was cool to his cheek, and Oreki let out a comforting sigh. Being on the constant need to replenish his energy Oreki found himself to be an easy sleeper who can actually just fall asleep anywhere. Deciding to take a short nap while he can, he closed his eyes.

He was already in a dreamlike state when suddenly the door flung open.

"OREKI-SAN!"

He cringed at the sudden intrusion, knowing full well who it was. He prayed that she would notice that he was sleeping and just leave him alone. He let out a snore to convince her further.

"Ah, Oreki-san appears to be sleeping. Guess I'll just wait for him to wake up then." _What the?!_ _This girl just wouldn't quit it, will she? Dammit Chitanda! _

He heard her pull out a chair and sit down, resting her hands on her lap as she did so. Her eyes must be gleaming now, probably eagerly waiting for him to get up from his nap.

He frowned in annoyance. _Why does she have to be someone I cannot ignore?_

* * *

><p><em>"Houtarou?" <em>

"Nggh," he shifted his arms, "Ten minutes."

"Houtarou dear, you have to wake up now. It's time to leave."

_Wait, what? _

His eyes popped open, and he found his head still lying on his folded arms on the table. In the Classics Club room. And someone was urging him gently to wake up.

And that someone happened to be someone he could never ignore. His wife.

Oreki rose from his position, scratching his head in confusion. He turned to see her smiling at him.

"Did I fall asleep, Eru?"

She nodded gravely. "You were supposed to help them sell copies of _Hyouka._ You shouldn't be sleeping on the job."

"I'm sorry."

Chitanda giggled at his response. "It's okay. We have to go now anyway. We'll be meeting Fukube-san and Mayaka-chan for dinner later."

"What about these?" He pointed to the rest of the copies of the anthology the Classics Club does as an annual tradition.

"Houtarou, it's six now. We're supposed to lock up an hour ago. Our junior left us the key. It's getting late and it's time for us to go," she explained, holding out her hand.

Oreki grasped her hand gently, and together, they walked out, not forgetting to lock the clubroom. He was still mulling over the dream he had while he was asleep. It was an old memory; when her presence simply gave Oreki a headache, her curiosity a waste of his precious energy. But he was still drawn to her, and they ended up together.

Funny how things don't turn out the way you thought it will. But thankfully for him, it was for the better.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: continuation of summary: ...But he ends up marrying her anyway. Hehehe c****ouldn't help myself, I actually ship Oreki and Chitanda together. I wanted to write something longer but my limited vocabulary prevented me from doing so. I haven't written a fictional story in a long time. Please tell me if it's lame or boring, I appreciate constructive criticism. Thanks for reading. :) **


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